We're Only Friends
by ahsahsahs
Summary: They were only roommates - reluctant ones at that, but Ruby still wouldn't let it go.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yeah, I know. _Another_ roommate story. Just thought I'd try my hand at it since it's summer break.**

* * *

Final-fucking-ly. After a long day, no scratch that – long week, the weekend had arrived. How stupid was she in thinking a job chasing down bad guys _wouldn't _be tiring?

The moment she stepped into the loft, she dropped her bag by the door, and made her way to the bathroom for a long overdue bath. She ran the bath before stripping off her clothes and grabbing a book to read. Once she fully sunk her body into the warm water, she opened the book and started to read.

Four pages into reading _Anna Karenina_, she heard the sound of the doorbell ring. It had to be the delivery boy. Of course, she ignored it, thinking that Ruby would get the door. After a minute or two, the doorbell rang again.

"Ruby!" she yelled through the bathroom door, "Go open the door, for God's sake!"

"It's your turn!" she heard the muffled voice of her roommate argue.

"Too bad!" Emma countered. "I'm in the bath!"

She heard Ruby groan and Emma smiled triumphantly to herself as she continued reading.

Finally, after a half hour of soaking up in the bath, Emma reluctantly dragged herself out of it. She put on her bra and her underwear, as well as a pair of shorts before wrapping her wet hair in the towel.

"Did you start eating without me?" she asked Ruby as she stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room.

Except Ruby _wasn't_ in the living room. She was at the door – paying the delivery boy.

Instead, a tall, dark haired man was standing before her, who's attention automatically turned towards Emma the moment she spoke. Besides how strange it was to find a random man in her living room, she managed to appreciate how attractive this strange man was. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a white V-neck shirt inside, and a pair of dark blue jeans to finish off his bad-boy look. His hair was jet black and messy – almost like he'd been running his hand through it the whole day – and he had a light scruff that helped highlight his already strong jawline. But his eyes – _oh his eyes_ – his eyes were so blue that Emma had almost forgotten that she was standing in front of a stranger without a shirt on.

The moment she remembered her lack of clothing, she pulled the towel from her head and wrapped it around her body.

The man looked at her in amusement, only making Emma roll her eyes.

"Ruby," Emma began slowly, "mind if I steal you away for one moment?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there," Ruby answered, as the delivery boy handed over the Chinese food they had ordered.

Emma gave a tight-lipped smile to the mystery man before turning on her heel and finding her way to her room. A moment later, Ruby came in, all smiley and giggly.

"Care to explain who the random guy in our living is?" Emma asked with an annoyed tone as she grabbed a shirt and put it on.

"I told you my friend was coming, didn't I?"

"Yes," Emma answered slowly, "but you didn't say _your friend_ was coming _today_, or that _your friend _was a guy!"

"Well he wanted to surprise me, we haven't seen each other in ages!" she began. "Plus," she continued, "I didn't think it'd be important if he was a guy or not!"

"Well, it's important that some random stranger saw me without my shirt on!" Emma argued.

"Okay, fine! I'm sorry, I should've told you," Ruby gave in exasperatedly, earning a sarcastic 'you think?' from Emma. "How about I introduce you to him? He's pretty nice when he's not flirting with you."

Emma sighed. "How long is he staying?"

"Two to three weeks?" she answered quickly, hoping Emma wouldn't catch what she said.

"Three weeks! You're kidding!" Emma's voice hitched slightly.

"He's getting a job! And he said he'd pay for rent! He just needs to get off his feet," Ruby defended her friend. "Please do this for me?"

Emma huffed, but eventually caved. "Fine," she replied, grumpily giving in.

Ruby beamed at her before hopping out of the room, dragging Emma along with her. She pulled her all the way to the living room where he was still standing with a confused look on his face, before hauling Emma in front of her and pushing him towards him.

"Emma Swan, Killian Jones – Killian Jones, Emma Swan," Ruby gestured back and forth between the two of them.

"Pleasure to meet you _Emma Swan_," he dragged her name out much longer than needed, flashing a cheeky grin. _Of course. He has an accent._

"The pleasure's mine," Emma replied sarcastically, giving him the same tight-lipped smile from before.

"I don't think Swan here likes me very much," Killian laughed to Ruby.

"You're right, I do-" Emma was just about to finish off her snide remark when Ruby cut in.

"_Emma _here will warm up to you eventually," Ruby jumped in, glaring at Emma. "_Anyway_, how about I show you where you'll be sleeping, huh, _Killy_?" she smirked, easing the tension.

"Lass, what did I tell you about calling me that?" he scolded her jokingly as he picked up his bag and slung an arm around Ruby, getting her to lead the way.

Ruby led him upstairs, to Mary Margaret's old room. She had moved out a couple of weeks ago, deciding to permanently stay with her long-term boyfriend, David. Unfortunately for Emma, that would mean that his room would be right next to hers. Both Emma's and what used to be Mary Margaret's room were placed on the second floor of their loft, while Ruby's was on the bottom floor.

If Emma was being honest, she was glad that they found someone to split the rent with. A two-floor loft wasn't cheap in Brooklyn, and her job as a bails bonds person wasn't paying the bills.

Emma sighed as she walked over to the kitchenette where the Chinese take-out now sat. She unpacked the food and dumped them onto plates, throwing away the boxes away.

"I'm eating first, yeah?" she called out into the loft.

"Yeah, go ahead!" she heard Ruby yell back.

Emma began eating her food, moments later being joined by the sounds of footsteps coming down the staircase. A second later, Killian had sat down on the stool next to her, his back was facing the counter. He had gotten rid of the leather jacket, the white t-shirt showing off his lean body and his muscular arms. He leaned on the counter casually as he watched Emma eat. Emma wasn't going to let him win whatever game he thought this was, so she continued ignoring him. Finally, after minutes of silence, he spoke.

"You're a tough lass, aren't you?"

"You're quite perceptive, aren't you?" she retorted coldly.

"Just trying to make conversation here," he raised his hands defensively. "We are, after all, roommates now," he smiled.

"Just because we're roommates, doesn't mean we have to be friends," Emma countered.

"I think we're more than friends now, lass. I _have _seen you topless," he winked, admittedly making Emma shiver slightly.

"I was _not _topless. I was wearing a bra," she added defensively.

"We'll be sure to take care of that next time, yeah?" he smirked.

She was just about to come up with some witty retort when someone pounding at the door interrupted her. She looked at Killian asking him to answer it, but he simply stared back at her. Green and blue eyes were battling it off in a staring competition, when he finally gave in.

"Since I'm new, I'll get it," he winked at her as he pushed himself off the counter and made his way to the door.

Halfway to the door, the person on the opposite side of it knocked loudly again.

"Em-ma! Open up, babe. I know you're in there!" a male voice yelled from outside.

_Oh shit. _

Killian turned back to Emma with a puzzled look on his face asking her what he should do, when she got off the stool herself and raced to the door. She looked back at him, telling him that she had it under control, only making him raise an eyebrow in question. Emma shrugged him off before pulling the door open.

And there he was. Drunk off his ass Neal was standing in front of her, leaning most of his body weight on the doorframe.

"What're you doing here, Neal?"

"I've missed you, babe," he slurred, as he tried to reach for her, but she managed to avoid his grip. "Come on, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Neal. Just go home." She was about to shut the door when he managed to slide his foot in, stopping it from closing fully.

"Ems," he said, pushing the door open with a surprising amount of strength seeing his state of sobriety. He reached for her again, and this time, he managed to grab her wrist, pulling her towards him. "Let me in. I know you've missed me too," he pulled her closer, purring into her ear. "Come on, don't tell me you don't think about me when you-"

Emma cringed at what he was about to say when he was interrupted midsentence.

"Love, who's at the door?" his voice echoed through the loft, making Neal release his grip off of Emma. A moment later, Killian was by her side, slinging his arm around her shoulder, effectively pulling her into his body protectively. He kissed her temple softly, catching Emma slightly off guard, before speaking again. "Who's this?"

Neal looked between the two of them unconvincingly, forcing Emma to play along by wrapping her arm around Killian's waist.

"An old friend," she said, glaring at Neal.

"Yeah, I'm just leaving. Good talking to you, Emma," Neal said quickly, turning around and walking away.

Killian shut the door and immediately turned to Emma, worry lines etched on his face.

"Are you alright, lass? Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?" Killian asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I could've handled him, you know?" She ran her hand through her hair restlessly.

"Right. I'm sorry. I just don't appreciate it when men treat women like that," he sighed as he walked past her, but she managed to catch his arm in time. He looked back at her confused.

"But, thank you," she told him genuinely, earning a sincere smile from him. She let go of his arm and he walked on up the stairs and into the room next to hers.

Emma stood there for a few moments, confused from his random act of kindness, when Ruby came out of the shower.

"Who was at the door?" she asked as she combed her hair with her fingers.

"Neal," she muttered softly.

"Neal! What did he want? Do I have to beat him up?" Ruby raised her voice in a mixture of anger and concern.

"No, no. Um, Killian, helped me out," she replied quietly.

"_Killian_?" Ruby asked confused.

"Killian," she repeated.

"I told you he wasn't bad!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully.

"Yeah, but right before that he was flirting with me like his life depended on it."

"Yeah, he does that sometimes," Ruby shrugged before making her way to the counter to have her dinner.

_Right, _Ruby _did _say that he was a flirt. It's not like Emma had some special treatment from him or anything. _For God's sake, _she'd only met the guy less than an hour ago. Emma shook it off, muttering a goodnight to Ruby before heading up the stairs. She was walking towards her room when she passed Killian's, whose door was left ajar, and of course, at that exact moment, he decided to pull his shirt off, showcasing his _ripping _back muscles.

Thank God his back was facing the door, or else he would've never let her live down the way her jaw dropped for the rest of his stay. Quickly, she walked past his room, into her room and slammed her door shut.

_This was going to be one long few weeks._

* * *

"Jones!" Emma's voice echoed through their shared loft. "Stop leaving your fucking underwear everywhere!"

The sound of the bathroom door opening and his soft footsteps was all she heard before he appeared right in front of her. Naked.

Well, not _exactly _naked – but the way the towel hung low on his hips created the same effect.

Emma tried not to let her gaze trail down his naked torso, following the path of his dark chest hair that led south to somewhere more _intriguing_, and, to put it plainly, failed. Although he didn't say anything, Emma knew he realised how badly his lack of clothing was affecting her, as his grin grew wider.

"Sorry about that, lass," he winked, taking his briefs from her hand. Emma's gaze followed his hand as he bent down and put on his briefs. Finally, she looked back up at him to find him smirking at her. "Thank you, love," he breathed as he leaned in, giving her a whiff of the Oldspice. Before she could say something (_anything_) or even push him away, he pulled back, turning around and walking up the stairs and into his room.

Only when she heard his door close shut was Emma pulled out of her trance – only to find Ruby leaning over the kitchen counter with her mouth wide open.

"_Oh my god_, just have sex already." Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes, walking over to the counter and sitting on the stool.

"Not happening."

"It's so obvious you _want to_, so why not?"

"_Because_." It sounded childish, but that was the only thing Emma could come up with in that moment. "When's he leaving anyway?"

"I don't think he should," Ruby replied nonchalantly, as she grabbed to mugs from the cupboard. "Victor asked me to move in with him, so _if _I do, you're going to need a roommate to keep living here," she shrugged as she slid the now coffee-filled mug over to Emma.

"He's been living her for almost a month, now! He still hasn't gotten off his feet," Emma argued. "I don't think I can take anymore of his innuendos and his shirtlessness."

"Why? Because any more of that, and you might jump him?" Ruby winked. "Besides, he just got a job. Give him a chance. He's like family, Ems – he's done so much for me."

Emma sighed in defeat, "Fine. I'll miss you, you know – if you do leave." She smiled sadly. Ruby had been her best friend since high school, and the moment they left, they were even more inseparable.

"Hey," Ruby spoke comfortingly, "I'll be five minutes away. If you need me, I will _run _here for you," she reassured her, leaning across the counter and squeezing her hand.

She smiled at that. The thought of Ruby running 5 blocks on the streets of Brooklyn was amusing. "I know. Just- just don't completely ditch me like Mary-Margaret did us."

"You know," Ruby frowned, "I will never forgive her for skipping out on movie night."

"Yeah, how dare she," Emma laughed. "She really missed out on _Twilight_," she rolled her eyes at Ruby. That _was not _a good movie night. Ruby had decided it was time they caught up on why people hated the movie so much. After watching it, it wasn't hard to see why.

"Hey, in my defense-"

"So, how do I look?" Killian's voice boomed through the loft as he opened the door and appeared at the top of the stairs. He was wearing a simple tan colored pair of khakis, topped off with a plain white long-sleeved shirt and a thin black tie. This was a completely different outfit compared to his usual V-neck t-shirts and leather jackets. Emma hated to admit it, but he looked _good – really good._

He _swaggered _down the stairs all smiles, seeming proud with his choice of attire for his first day on the job. "Do you think it's appropriate?"

"Killy, if you were my teacher, I wouldn't be focusing in class," Ruby winked, sliding her tongue across her teeth.

His smile grew wider, before he turned to Emma. "Swan? What do you think?"

"I must say, Jones, you look good." Emma pushed herself off the stool and walked over to him. This came as a shock to all three of them. If anyone were to ask her what came over her to do what she did next, she wouldn't be able to give a straight answer. "But, the tie," she reached over and tightened it, "needs some fixing up." She even added a dimple to it, stepping back to admire her work.

"Hm. You're pretty good at that," he commented, looking down at it. After a moment, he looked back up at her, his eyes staring deep into hers. "Very much appreciated, lass," Killian grinned.

His stare was incredibly intense, making her feel slightly uncomfortable, but not, at the same time. Ruby cleared her throat, making Emma jump slightly at the sound. When she turned back to Ruby, Emma shot her a '_What?'_ look, earning her a knowing smile.

"Right," Killian spoke up. "I best be off, wouldn't want to make a bad first impression on the first day, huh?"

"Good luck, Killy!" Ruby called after him as he shut the door behind him. She was smiling fondly at how excited Killian looked leaving the loft, when the turned her attention back to Emma, her expressions changing into a smirk.

"You going to tell me what that was all about?"

"Let it go, Ruby."

Emma picked up her bag from the couch in the living room, before making her way to the door.

Just before she shut the door, Ruby managed to yell something out,

"It's not even 8 a.m., and you've already shared _two_ sexually intense mo-"

Emma closed the door before she finished her sentence. With a small smile plastered on her face, she left for another long day at work.

* * *

The next few weeks ran by quickly, the only moment worth talking about was Ruby's moving out. It was an emotional affair to say the least, however, Emma would never admit that she did tear up a little as Ruby said her goodbyes. She planted a huge kiss on Emma's cheek, leaving a stain of red, as she collected her last few things.

A moment after Ruby shut the door behind her, it reopened again, only this time, a sweaty Killian Jones appeared.

"Ruby has never been a lass to own a few things, has she?" he panted as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

"Never has, never will be," Emma laughed as she plopped herself onto the couch and flipped through the channels.

Emma heard him walk up the stairs, and into his room. She continued flipping through, finally deciding on the channel Downton Abbey was playing on. A moment later, Killian reemerged.

"Ah right, I have a favor to ask you, Swan," he remembered as he raced down the stairs, jumping over the couch and landing right next to her.

"God damn it, Jones. You're a grown man," Emma huffed. "How do you even have the energy to act like a child?"

"Maybe it's because I don't chase people down for a living, Swan," he propped his legs up on the coffee table. Only then did Emma realize he had changed his shirt.

"Hm, maybe," she shrugged returning her attention on the screen.

"That's kind of what the favor's about, love."

"You need me to find someone for you?" her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"What? No! I kind of told my students that my friend chased people down for a living," he explained. "And they insisted you come for the Bring-Your-Parents-To-School Day," he nervously scratched the spot behind his ear.

"You do realize I'm not your parent right?"

"No- yeah. But they wanted an example of what their parents should say, and you know- _please_."

"I'm busy catching bad guys, remember?"

"Come on, Swan. You don't want to let these kids down. They're good kids," he reasoned with her. "And I told them I'd try, and they all looked really excited, and I'm pretty sure one little lass said she wants to be exactly like-"

"_Jesus,_ I'll go," she caved. "But what do I get in return?"

"The gift of a child's smile," he beamed brightly, only earning him an unamused look from Emma, "Fine, I'll buy you dinner."

"At any place I want."

"Any place you want."

"And I get to order as much as I want."

"As much as you want," he sighed.

"Perfect. So when do you need me there?"

"Tomorrow," he smiled nervously.

"You're kidding me! And you just ask me now?"

"A week of dinner!" he bargained.

Emma was about to argue when she felt like the deal was fair enough. "Deal," she conceded.

"Great."

* * *

She pulled into the school's visitor's parking lot at the time he asked her to. When she entered the building, she expected to see a bunch of teenaged high school kids complaining and cursing in the school hallways. What she expected wasn't this.

It wasn't until the moment she stepped into the building did she realize it was an elementary school – a school for _small people_. She never pictured Killian to be the type to teach small children, immediately assuming they were teen kids. She guessed this took the nervousness of standing in front of a class and talking to a bunch of kids off a little, but she still never expected this.

As she wondered around, she found herself at the playground, where she found him – _him playing with the kids_. From where she was standing, she saw how laughed with the children or how he picked up the ones who fell as they were running.

Emma never believed those typical rom-coms saying that guys who were good with kids were a turn on – _until now, that is. _

He seemed to have noticed her presence, as just seconds later, he was walking directly towards her, waving his hand animatedly as if he wasn't less than 20 feet away from her.

"You didn't bail!" he sounded genuinely pleased. From here, she could see the thin layer of sweat on his skin from his time in the playground. "Thank you – _really_."

"I'd be crazy to bail on free dinner for week," she smiled, shrugging it off.

"Aye," he grinned back at her. "We best go to class, huh? The kids will be in shortly."

He led her through the school, taking one left into a hallway and entering the second class on their right. The whole time, he walked in front of her, but made sure to look back every now and then to 'check up on her'.

When she stepped into the classroom, the first thing she noticed on the board was his name written in a neat cursive handwriting at the top, spelling 'Mr. Jones'.

He took a seat behind his desk and she spotted the 3 red apples sitting on the edge of the desk.

"You actually get apples?"

"Aye, I think a few of the little lasses have a small crush on me," he smiled, reaching for the fruit and offering it to Emma who took it from him. "Right, so I'm going to introduce you, and you can just talk about your job and what you do. Then we'll have a short Q&A for the kids. Sound okay to you?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, taking a bite of the apple, before taking the seat next to him.

"I warn you, Swan," his tone dropped as he leaned closer to her, and for a second, she thought this was something serious, "these kids are vicious. They're like vultures awaiting their next meal. They're ruthless with their questions, so you best be prepared." He couldn't keep up with the act any longer, his smirk starting to show itself.

"Don't worry, Mr. Jones, I can handle myself," she took another bite of the apple. He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the school bell rang. "Your little vultures are coming in now, huh?" she joked.

"You joke now, Swan," he said in a light tone as he stood up and walked towards the door. Once he opened the door, a group of kids, their full heights just reaching his hips, filtered into the classroom. "Alright, get in. Take a seat and _behave_, I have a special guest for us today," he warned them playfully, and was replied with light-hearted giggles.

Emma stood up from her chair and greeted the kids with a warm smile and a shy wave. They stared at her in awe, some of them whispering things into the other's ear, when Killian cut in.

"Right, settle down." Once they all took their seats, they stared back at Emma with huge eyes, completely focused on her even though she hadn't said anything. "So, this here, is Emma, the one I told you all about, and she has a really interesting job. So if you let Swan here talk all about her work with no interruptions, we'll have a little Q&A at the end of the session, yeah?" he announced to the class.

The kids nodded their heads fervently, determined to get to ask the questions at the end.

Killian smiled at the class, stepping back and guiding Emma with a small push of his hand on the small of her back to the center of the front of the class before taking his seat at his desk again.

"So, my name's Emma and I have a pretty interesting job," she began, speaking loud enough for the whole class to hear.

She spoke for the next half hour, talking about what she did for a living and some of the cases she'd gotten over the years and the kids remained quiet and attentive throughout the whole presentation.

Finally, finding nothing else to talk about, she turned to Killian, who seemed to have understood her message, and stood up from his chair, moving to stand next to her.

"Any questions for the lovely Swan?"

The moment he asked the question, a dozen hands shot up eagerly.

"Alex?"

"Have you ever been shot?" he blurted out with no restraint.

Emma laughed at the question. "Three times, to be exact – two at each shoulder, and the other one at the thigh."

The children looked amazed, a few of their mouths hanging open. Killian continued to pick another student named Lacey in the back of the class.

"Isn't it scary to chase bad guys?"

"It's really scary – anything could happen. But if it helps rid the world of one less bad guy, then it's worth it."

After the sixth question, Killian decided that she'd have had enough questions, calling out for last one. In the end, he chose a boy called Darren whose hand had been raised for the past six questions.

"This is not my question, but I just want to say, you're incredibly pretty."

The compliment was followed by soft giggles and Emma couldn't help blush.

"Thank you, Darren-"

"Oi! No flirting with Swan," Killian cut in. "Ask your question, lad."

"Sorry, Mr. Jones. My question is, is Mr. Jones your boyfriend?"

"I- what- Mr. Jones," Emma stuttered, blushing even more than before.

"Right, so everyone say goodbye to Emma – she has to go catch bad guys now," Killian began, the class sounded of disappointment. "How about a round of applause for her?"

They all clapped for her and she smiled back at them, before being led out by Killian. After shutting the door, Emma noticed how he scratched the spot behind his ear that he'd only scratch when he was nervous or embarrassed.

"Sorry about Darren back there. He's the class flirt. You wouldn't think he's only 7 if you heard his pickup lines."

"He's pretty smooth, if you ask me," she joked.

"Well, either way, thank you for that, lass. It means a lot to the kids, and me," he added the last part softly.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled. "You still owe me 7 dinners though," Emma reminded him as she walked away backwards before turning around, leaving him there. He shook his head while he laughed, shoving a hand in his pocket before returning to his class.

* * *

Emma heard the front door slam open, a moment later finding Ruby barge in on her while she was in the bathroom, soaking in the tub.

"_Ruby, what on earth_!" Emma made a futile attempt in covering herself up with bubbles.

"Oh, it's nothing I haven't seen before, Ems," she brushed it off as she sat on the edge of the tub.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain _why_ you're in here."

"Right!" Ruby jumped back up at the reminder. "I move out for three days, and the next thing I know, you're visiting Killian at work – don't you _dare_ tell me there's nothing going on between the two of you, cause I'm not buying it," she scolded.

"It was a favor for a friend – he asked me to help out, I did – _nothing more_," Emma huffed as she stood up and reached for the towel, wrapping herself up.

"And since when have you referred to Killian as a 'friend'?"

"Let it go, Ruby."

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in reply.

"Besides," Emma began as she moved over to the sink and started to wash her face, "he promised to buy me dinner for a week – I'd be stupid to refuse free food," she shrugged.

Ruby looked in thought for a moment before she started grinning. "So you're telling me, that you have a dinner date with Killian Jones for a whole week?" She winked at Emma through the mirror; an eye roll was shot back in return.

"It's free food. Call it as you may, Ruby."

"Come on, Emma. Just go out with him, or sleep with him – _or both!_" When Emma sighed in reply, Ruby frowned, "You've been moping about for the last god knows how many years over either Graham or Neal, so _please_? Go out with someone, _anyone, _it doesn't have to be Killian – though I'm still rooting for team Killian."

"If I go on one date, with _anyone_, will you let this Killian business go away?"

"Fine, but he has to get my approval first," she agreed.

"Who needs our approval first?" a male voce sounded from the living room.

Ruby popped her head out and smiled when she saw it was Killian. Next thing Emma knew, Killian appeared behind her in the mirror leaning against the bathroom doorframe.

"Emma here's going out on a date," Ruby beamed.

"Well? Let's see the bloke then."

"Why is that jealousy I hear in your voice, Killy? Could baby Killy be jealous of Emma going on a date?" Ruby teased and both Killian and Emma rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Ruby-"

"I'm just saying, he's probably a bloke – most men are."

"Well, Sebastian's nice, and he's pretty cute, so why not?" Emma shrugged as she squeezed out the toothpaste onto her toothbrush. "Now if the two of you don't mind, I have to change."

"Oh, I don't mind-" both Ruby and Killian said in unison, staring at each other before bursting out laughing. Emma pushed the pair out, and shut the door, making sure to lock it this time, hearing the muffled sounds of laughs from the opposite side of the door.

* * *

"So?" Emma asked as she walked down the stairs and into the living room where both Killian and Ruby were seated. Ruby's mouth hung open, while Killian blew a low whistle. She wore a simple black dress that hugged her body nicely, stopping just above the knee. It didn't reveal too much, nor did it hide her assets either. She walked down barefooted with her heels in her hand and her clutch in another.

"Damn, this guy's not going to know what hit him." Ruby moved over to Emma and helped fix her hair. "You look good, Ems."

"I must say, Swan, you look _ravishing_," Killian winked at her, before turning back to the screen.

"Thank you," she replied while rolling her eyes.

"So who is this guy? Where did you meet him?"

"He's a cop," Emma answered, turning back to Ruby. "He joined the precinct a few months ago, and he's been asking me out since then, so," she shrugged. Emma sat on the edge of the couch to put her heels on, later, digging into her bag and producing her phone. She tapped on the screen a few times before pointing it at Ruby, showing her a picture of him.

"Holy shit, he's hot."

Emma noticed how Killian's gaze shifted from the TV to Emma's hand, but she didn't say anything about it, simply choosing not to read into it.

"If I wasn't so madly in love with Victor, I would jump on that train in the matter of minutes."

"Then I'll make sure he won't linger. He's really nice and I think I might actually like him, so I'm going to try _not _to mess this up."

"Trust me, Swan, in that dress, he's more likely to mess something up," he winked, earning _yet another _eye roll. "Does this mean I have one less night of buying you dinner?"

Someone knocked on the door and Emma got up. "Not a chance, Jones. You still owe me 3 more dinners," she smiled coyly as she walked over to the front door.

Sebastian was standing on the opposite side of the door dressed in a plain black shirt, and grey pants.

"Hey," Emma smiled as she leaned in for a hug. He hugged her back, and when they pulled away, she gestured for him to come inside for her to introduce him to her friends. "That's my roommate," she pointed at Killian who was still on the couch, "and this here, is Ruby-"

"Ex-roommate, current best friend," she cut in, jutting out her hand for a shake. Killian turned his body slightly, offering him a small wave, turning back to the screen.

"Nice to meet you," Sebastian smiled at her two friends. He looked back at her and finally got to appreciate her whole outfit. "Emma- you look amazing."

"You don't look so bad yourself," she smiled. "It's weird not seeing you in your uniform."

He laughed softly, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I didn't think it'd be appropriate for a date."

"Talking about that date, should we go?" Emma suggested.

"Yeah, yeah," he agreed nervously, before guiding her out the door with his hand on her back. "It was nice to meet you two," he smiled at Killian and Ruby.

Emma gave Ruby one last 'wish me luck' look before walking out the door.

Once the door shut, Killian groaned loudly.

"What a bloke."

"What are you on about, he seems sweet _and _he's hot."

"Still a bloke," Killian shrugged absentmindedly flipping through the channels.

"You're just jealous," she replied matter-of-factly.

"And _you_ shouldn't even be here. Go back to your boyfriend, Ruby."

"Aw, don't be bitter," Ruby teased, falling on the couch next to him. "Maybe you should start getting out there too. God knows it's been ages since Milah."

"Only because I thought Milah would be the last once," he smiled sadly. "I guess not, huh?"

Ruby tucked herself under his arm, meanwhile, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"She was stupid to leave you. You deserve so much better."

"Aye."

Unfortunately, the only person he wanted to be deserving of was on a date with another man.

* * *

**A/N: Right, so Sebastian is basically Jefferson from OUAT. I changed his name because I didn't quite like it, and the only name I could come up with, also happened to be his _actual_ name, so, oops? :)**

**Anyway, Thank you for reading :) If you have time and like the story (or don't like the story), please review xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry about that glitch! Thank you those of you who helped tell me btw!**

* * *

Since that first date, she'd gone out with Sebastian four more times. It was safe to say that they were dating. Even though they were technically 'dating', they weren't together, as Emma had clarified with him, and he fully understood. Now, they were just having fun, and fun was definitely what she needed.

She was done with serious relationships. She wasn't looking to settle down or _anything_. Just _fun._

Ruby had fully supported this version of Emma, whereas Mary Margaret told her she shouldn't waste her time on Sebastian if she wasn't serious. But she wasn't there yet. She didn't need a boyfriend.

They had been casually going out for the past month, and it was perfect. He took her out for movies and she bought him coffee whenever she visited the precinct.

At the moment, they were lounging in the living room, Emma tucked nicely under his arm, as they watched the X-men series. They were currently on _The Last Stand_, and had a small argument over the whole 'is Jean evil or not' topic. Eventually, he gave in, sighing and kissing her temple as she smiled in triumph.

At the exact moment where Wolverine decided to confront Jean, they heard the muffled sounds of talking and the front door opening. Emma tilted her head back and found Killian with his bag slung over his shoulder, his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder, as well as at least a dozen books in his arms. He raised his hand as much as he could in greeting and closed the door shut with a push of his heel.

"…Don't be daft, Liam – I'm alright here," Emma overheard Killian say with a slightly annoyed voice as she resumed watching the movie. "There's no need to travel half the world away."

She heard the thud of the books being set on the counter, as well as the sound of him dropping his bag on the ground.

"Fine, you git. I'll pick you up from the airport – e-mail me your flight information," Killian concluded, ending the call with a long sigh.

"Long day?" Emma asked without turning to face him.

"No. Just my bloke brother being my bloke brother," he sighed again as he moved to walk up the stairs. "Enjoy your film," he called out as he disappeared into his room.

They kept in a comfortable silence until the movie ended. Finally deciding it was time to stop their marathon, Emma dragged herself to the Blu-ray player, ejecting the disk, while Sebastian collected the two cups and the popcorn bowl and brought them over to the sink.

"Got to take off now," he mentioned as he stretched. "Lost a bet, so I have to take over Jackson's nightshifts for a month," he explained.

Emma walked over to him, stretching her arms out before settling them around his neck. "Okay," she stood on her tiptoes and met her lips with his. "Thanks for being a good movie buddy."

"Thank you for choosing me as your movie buddy," he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, catching her lips once more in a sweet kiss. "Now, I really have to get going," he kissed her again and she chuckled against his lips.

"Alright, alright." Emma let her arms falls, walking him out of the loft, giving him one last kiss goodbye before locking the door behind her.

"Jones!"

Killian's door opened, and he appeared on the platform above her, raising his eyebrow in question.

"I'm ready to collect my last free dinner," she beamed up at him, and was replied with an overly dramatic eye roll. He grumbled some things on the way down the stairs and collapsed onto the couch, mumbling something like 'you order it'.

Emma dialed the number for pizza and was connected a moment later, listing a whole list of food that she wanted, making the most out of her free dinner.

She fell on the couch next to him, picking up the remote and flipped through the channels, "What do you feel like watching?"

"Downton please, I missed the season finale."

She obliged, as he shuffled into a more comfortable position.

"You're… _different_ now."

"What?"

"You're different," Killian repeated. "You're in a much happier mood as of recently."

"Maybe it's because I'm getting laid," she shrugged jokingly. "You should get some, you've been _stressed _more often than not."

"You offering?" he winked. "Who knew taking care of 7 year olds would be so tiring? Besides, I think I may be 'getting some' soon."

"Do tell," Emma sat up and turned towards him.

"This other teacher from the school – Alexa – kind of asked me out," he shrugged.

Emma raised an eyebrow - Killian didn't seem like the type of guy who _wouldn't _beinterested in going out with a girl. "And?"

"Well," he scratched that spot behind his ear. "She's pretty and sweet, but I'm really not looking for anything right now," he trailed off.

"But?"

"But I said yes. She looked too hopeful, I couldn't say no," he shrugged again and turned back to face the TV.

"Just see how it goes," Emma suggested. "I only agreed to go out with Sebastian because Ruby wouldn't stop bugging me about y-," she managed to catch herself before she let it slip.

Killian looked at her questioningly, but said nothing of it.

"But now," she continued, "I really kind of like him."

"We'll see," he muttered softly. "I can't believe they keep throwing suitors in Mary's face," Killian shook his head, changing the topic as he turned back to face the television.

"Yeah, I mean Matthew only just-"

"Shh!" Killian shushed her, his eyes glued to the screen intently. She laughed, but remained quiet.

It took more or less 15 minutes until the delivery boy arrived with the _multiple_ boxes of pizza, and Killian asked Emma to get his wallet from his bag to pay for it. He was so focused on the series that he still hadn't noticed how much pizza she had ordered.

When she retrieved his wallet from the bag to pay the delivery boy, she pulled out the money and something else fell with it. She ignored it, paying the bill and taking the food first. After placing the boxes of pizza on the counter next to the stack of books, she walked over to pick up what fell.

It was folded, and mostly out of curiosity, Emma opened it. It was a picture – a picture of a younger Killian and his family. In the photograph, he had to be at least 10 years old. Next to him, was who she assumed was his brother, Liam. A woman with wavy black hair stood behind the two boys, carrying a toddler in her arms, both smiling widely – she guessed they were his mother and sister. Finally, next to his mother, was a tall man – probably his father. Except, the man's face was blackened and crossed out.

She turned back to look at him, finding him still watching the episode closely. Emma quickly slipped the picture back into his wallet and said nothing of it. He obviously had a rough childhood, and she didn't want to pry. Instead, she placed his wallet back into the bag, continuing to pick up the pizza and balance the boxes on one hand.

She set the boxes onto the coffee table, finally catching his attention. His eyes immediately widened at how high the boxes stacked up to.

"You went all out didn't you, lass?" he laughed as he shook his head.

She simply smiled mischievously, before leaning forward and opening the top box, the sweet aroma of freshly baked pizza filling the air. "Not up for it?" she smirked, taking a bite of the steaming pizza.

"You don't know who you're talking to." Abruptly, he sat up and scooted closer to her. "In fact, I have a challenge for you, love."

"I'm listening."

"If you can eat more slices than I ca-"

"Pfft, easy," Emma cut in cockily.

"_Listen_. If you can eat more slices than I can, I'll buy you dinner for – hmm, let's say a week again, shall we?"

"You're going to lose," she shrugged. "Pizza is my turf."

"We'll see about that. But if _I _can eat more slices than you can, you owe me free dinner for _two _weeks," he grinned widely. "What do you say, Swan?"

Emma thought for a moment. The stakes were high, but Emma Swan had never been one to turn down a challenge.

"Well? I'm already one slice ahead of you, Jones. Better keep up."

* * *

Emma had lost.

Big time.

She gave up on her eighth slice, while Killian had continued on until his sixteenth. It was a wonder how fit he was seeing as he had an unhealthy-ly large appetite.

He was nice enough though, never ordering too much, completely the opposite to Emma.

It was a week since she lost the pizza eating challenge, but he still had 4 more free dinners.

Somewhere in the middle of the week, his brother had visited all the way from Ireland, and Killian had spent most of his time catching up with him.

Liam was the opposite of his brother - and yet, they were very much alike. His brother showed more of those gentlemanly qualities that had popped up at the most random of times on Killian. His hair was curly and less black, more of a dark shade of brown. He was slightly taller than Killian, and his eyes were the replicated shade of blue as Killian's were.

Emma saw how as much as a 'bloke' Killian said his brother was, he still looked up to him, trying his best to make him proud. She saw the admiration in his eyes when he looked at his older brother, and it warmed her heart. With Liam around, gone was the cocky Killian Jones.

On the day Liam left, Killian had hugged his brother tightly before shutting the cab door shut. Emma could've sworn that his eyes were slightly teary, but she said nothing of it. Instead, she offered him his free dinner.

* * *

When Sebastian had told her that he was moving back to Florida to take care of his dad, being completely honest, Emma wasn't that affected by it. She was lucky he had sprung the news on her early in their relationship, as she hadn't gotten too attached to him. Yeah, she liked him, but they were nowhere close to love. It was sad to see him go, but seeing as Emma was _already _bad at relationships, she would be worse at a long-distanced one.

After sending him off to the airport, she had wanted to fall on the couch and marathon some show, but when she stepped into the loft, the TV was already occupied by Killian – _and a girl_.

"Swan!" Killian rose and greeted her, too smiley for Emma's liking.

"Hey," she smiled back weakly.

"This is Alexa – Alexa, this is my roommate, Emma," he introduced them, giving Emma flashbacks of Ruby introducing her to Killian at that exact same spot just under three months ago.

"I've heard a lot about you," the redhead spoke as she stood up, smiling at Emma sweetly, "both from the kids and Killian right here."

"Good things I hope?" Emma laughed.

"Only good things, Swan," Killian replied, smiling genuinely at her and Emma swore she saw _something _in that smile. But that was all pushed away when she noticed his hand placed carefully on her lower back, rubbing soothing circles on it.

She gave him a short smile before excusing herself, giving the lame reason of being too tired.

Later that night, after she heard the front door being shut somewhere around midnight, Killian had come into her room, collapsing onto her bed.

"You were right, Swan."

"What about?" she asked, not looking up from her book.

"About me giving it a try. She's great! I didn't think she was my type. She seemed a little too _sweet_ - you know what I mean? But not everyone can be a spitfire like you," he rambled on, not seeming to process what he'd just implied. "But she's smart, and she's pretty and she likes most of the things I like."

"Wow, you seem to really like her."

"I think I do, but I've only gone on 3 dates with her," he shrugged. "_Then again_," he added, "we do work together, so I guess it's technically more than 3 dates."

"Jones, you're rambling," Emma told him. If he was honest, she had no idea where this sudden jealousy came from. Maybe it was because now she had no one since Sebastian left, and she was feeling vulnerable. At the same time, a small part of her thought maybe it was always there, it just took him finding someone else for her to notice it. She ignored that part of her brain._ No._ Jones, was, well – _Jones._ And that was all he'd ever be.

Another part of her brain argued about how else would she have grown to be so comfortable with him, after only knowing him for three months. But maybe there was just no explanation for that. Maybe that just happened.

"Right, I apologize, love," he jumped up from the bed and walked to the door, throwing Emma a smile and a, "Night, Swan," before shutting the door behind him, leaving Emma to her own devices.

* * *

"We should double date!" Killian burst out suggesting one morning during breakfast.

"What?"

"You and Sebastian, me and Alexa – we should go on a double date," he explained as he ate his cereal.

_Right_. He didn't know that Sebastian and her had kind of broke things off. He was busy with his girlfriend – not that she could blame him. The whole while when she was with Sebastian, conversation between Killian and her had run dry.

"Well, Sebastian and I, we- we're not together anymore."

"What?"

"Yeah, he had to move back to Florida – his dad was sick."

"When was this, love? God, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" his voice laced with genuine concern, while his eyebrows were furrowed in worry as he leaned over the counter and placed his hand on hers, stroking the back of her hand reassuringly with his thumb.

"We weren't serious, so I'm good," she smiled faintly, managing to get his hand off hers when she brought the cup she was holding to her lips.

"You should've told me, Swan – I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner."

Alexa had made him into a different Killian – a caring and genuine one. She didn't like this Killian. She'd much prefer the Killian who'd endlessly flirt with her, letting no amount of eye rolls falter him.

"I only told Ruby – I expected she'd tell the whole world by now," she played it off as a joke.

"Should've told me nonetheless." There was that genuine smile again. "Right, I best be off, don't want to be late for work," Killian said as he placed his bowl in the sink and gathered his things.

Right. _Work._ Work where his girlfriend also happened to be. Just fucking great.

"I'll see you after work, dinner's on me!" he called out as he walked out.

_Great_, pity dinner.

* * *

"Don't you dare even say 'I told you so'"

"I'm not going to say that, but I am going to say: do you remember that one time when I said to you and Killian should be together? Yeah, this is exactly why."

"Ruby," Emma groaned, hiding her face in her hands.

"Okay, okay – but see! Had you just listened to me, we wouldn't be here talking about how jealous you are!"

"Firstly, I'm not jealous. Secondly, he never liked me anyway."

Ruby burst out laughing, needing to cover her mouth with her hand so that other customers in the diner didn't stare.

"Darling, he I could _feel_ how much he wanted you from the moment I introduced the two of you to each other."

She rolled her eyes in response. _As if_.

"You're full of shit. And when I met him," she recalled, "I was topless, so maybe _that's_ why you could _feel _something from him."

"You got it so bad, you can't even admit it, Emma," Ruby sighed.

She glanced at the clock and practically jumped out of the booth.

"_Shit_, I'm late!" Ruby swore as she collected her things. "I've already gotten two warnings, and my boss isn't the nicest person."

She picked up her handbag and dug out some money from her purse, thrusting it into Emma's hand as she leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek as a goodbye before she exited the diner and disappeared into the crowds of people on the busy street.

Emma shook her head and held back a smile. Ruby had not changed one bit since high school.

It was her day off and she really had nothing to do. With Ruby at work and Mary Margaret tagging along with David on his business trip, she had half a mind to visit Killian at the school. _No._ Alexa was there. It'd be awkward and weird, and she'd be asked _why _she came. There was no possible way she could answer with the truth:

_To see Killian Jones._

He was happy with Alexa, and she should've been happy for him. But she couldn't find it in her heart to fake a smile and laugh when she saw them together. It hurt too much. And the worse part was, she didn't have the right to feel hurt. Killian Jones was never _hers_, nor will he ever be.

* * *

It was three weeks later when she came home from work and heard yelling coming from his room. The selfish part of her _hoped_ he and Alexa were having an argument, but she never let that part of her control her.

As she approached his room, she noticed how it was only one voice yelling and it belonged to Killian. There was no evidence that Alexa was in the room with him, nor was there proof she was in the loft at all. Emma concluded that whoever he was yelling at was on the phone.

"…No… can't do this to us again… walk in and out of our lives…" That was the gist of what she heard. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but she was worried.

Moments later, she heard him swear loudly, followed by the sound multiple somethings hitting the floor.

She waited for a minute, listening out for any signs that he was still on the phone with whoever, but nothing but an eerie silence. She lingered outside his door for a few moments, before knocking on it softly and letting herself in.

Killian was sitting at his desk with his face in his hands, his hair in an even more disheveled state than usual. On the floor were the remnants of what _used_ to be on the desk, among them, his phone.

She approached him slowly, squatting down so that she would be at the same eye level as he was if he ever decided to look up, that is.

"Hey, hey, Killian," she tried in the most comforting voice she could muster. She placed one hand on his thigh, while the other was stroking his back soothingly.

She continued to stroke his back, deciding to rest her head on his lap. That was when he looked up from his hands.

"Emma?"

She stared up at him, green eyes looking at tearful blue ones. "Hey."

Without hesitation, he leaned down and hugged her, pulling her up to him.

"It's alright," she coaxed as she hugged him back. Slowly, she rose pulling him up with her. She led him to the foot of his bed and got him to sit down, she settled next to him.

"It was my dad," he murmured after a moment, his eyes planted to the ground. Emma nodded slowly in response, understanding how right now, he needed someone to listen. "The last time I saw him, was three years ago. Before that, he disappeared – for ten years."

He took a deep labored breath, looking down at his lap, and it was then when she noticed how he balled his hands into fists in an attempt to stop shaking. She reached out for him instinctively, forcing his hand open so she could intertwine her fingers with his. He breathed in once, twice, three times, before resuming.

"I was thirteen the first time he left. My mum, and my- my baby sister, Arya, they- they got into a car accident. Both of them died, but the drunk driver who _killed _them came off scotch free," he stuttered at first, trying to compose himself, but at the last sentence, he managed to get it out smoothly. She heard the hint of hate that was hiding behind the words. "Arya was always my dad's favorite – of course she was, she was the little girl. When they… _died_, he left. Said Liam and I reminded him too much of them."

Emma felt her heart constrict just by the way he spoke_. _He _was _broken. She squeezed his hand tightly, assuring him she was there for him and his eyes met hers again, offering her a small smile.

"Our godfather, my dad's brother, was just as bad. He was a drunk and he hit us. One night, Liam had enough, and we ran away. My auntie, from my mother's side, she was American – offered us to come live with her. It took awhile to organize everything, so we were on the streets for a few weeks. Eventually we made it there. Unfortunately, five months of normalcy with her was too good to be true. Social services came and deemed her unfit to take care of us, and we were thrown in the system. Lucky for us, the first house we were thrown into was Granny's. She ran a foster home and took care for us like we were her own grandsons. Over the years, after Liam moved onto college, I'd grown close to Granny's actual granddaughter – Ruby. We were – _are _- as thick as thieves. I had her back; she had mine. I didn't go to the same high school, so I never had the chance of meeting you earlier – though I did catch you dropping Ruby off at Granny's place, you looked just as ravishing, maybe more, if possible, might I add," he smirked weakly, trying to hide behind his mask. "10 years after he left, he showed up at my door – I was back in Ireland, then – begging for forgiveness. And the worse part was, I trusted him, I believed the good dad he was once had returned, but I was wrong. He took as much money as he could, and he left. What's even worse was that Liam warned me not to trust him. I was a fool."

"Killian," she spoke softly, getting him to look up at her, finding tears trail down his cheeks. She brought her hand to his face, wiping the tears off his face. "You were just trying to believe in the best of him, you weren't wrong in doing so."

"I was naïve."

"No. You're good guy, and you don't deserve any of the shit life threw at you," she soothed him, and scooted closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him stroking the back of his head softly. She felt him snake his arms around her waist and pull her tightly to him.

"Emma?" he asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay here with me tonight?" The vulnerability in his voice made her heart break. There were many reasons _why _she shouldn't, but she couldn't think of one at that moment.

"Of course."

Killian squeezed her once more before letting her go. He crawled onto the bed, and tucked himself under the covers, and she couldn't help think about how _adorable _he looked in that moment.

She flicked the light switch off; the only light source remaining was from the desk lamp, and she returned to his bed, mimicking his actions and crawling under the covers.

Once she settled in, Killian nestled closer to her, laying his head above her shoulder and draped his arm over her waist. She turned her head and kissed the top of his head softly, continuing to stroke his back until she heard his breath steady before she finally let sleep overtake her.

* * *

**A/N: So, basically, Alexa is Ariel, but I just changed her name. **

**Again, Thank you for reading, and also thank you to those who reviewed, followed and favourited. It was very much appreciated :)**


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